This invention relates to the densification of liquids. More specifically, this invention relates to the densification of cryogenic propellants at or above atmospheric pressure.
The densification of cryogenic propellants is anticipated to become more necessary in the future to maximize fuel loading and payloads. At that time, there will be a demand for densification systems that will function with maximum efficiency and minimum overall cost. These densification systems are particularly of interest to aerospace companies and government agencies involved in launch site construction. Present processes for cryogenic propellant densification are based on heat exchange with cryogenic fluids boiling under reduced pressure, achieved with the use of expensive and difficult-to-control compressor systems. These densification systems require large banks of submerged coils with trains of vacuum pumps or expensive cold blowers to produce the required reduced pressures. It is therefore desirable to develop a system avoiding these problems and costs by operating at or above atmospheric pressure. Estimates indicate that such a system would have significantly reduced capital investment and operating costs coupled with improved reliability and availability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to develop a method and system for densifying cryogenic propellants at or above atmospheric pressure.
Although described with respect to the fields of cryogenics and propellants, it will be appreciated that similar advantages of liquid densification at or above atmospheric pressure may obtain in other applications of the present invention. Such advantages may become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present disclosure or through practice of the invention.